Butch Jones
Butch Jones went 113–95 as a head coach, 2007–2026, at Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Arkansas State. Wikipedia’s season articles record one season differently (2026, 2–4); by them his record is 112–95. Share
- Record
- 113–95 career
- Seasons
- 17
- Schools
- 4
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Born
- Jan 17, 1968
- Alma mater
- Ferris State 1990
- Best season
- 2015 9–4, No. 22
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Central Michigan | 8–6 | 1st | Motor City Bowl L | ||
| 2008 | Central Michigan | 8–5 | T–2nd | Motor City Bowl L | ||
| 2009 | Central Michigan | 11–2 | 1st | GMAC (not coached) | ||
| 2010 | Cincinnati | 4–8 | 7th | |||
| 2011 | Cincinnati | 10–3 | T–1st | Liberty Bowl W | 25 | |
| 2012 | Cincinnati | 9–3 | T–1st | Belk (not coached) | ||
| 2013 | Tennessee | 5–7 | 6th | |||
| 2014 | Tennessee | 7–6 | T–4th | TaxSlayer Bowl W | ||
| 2015 | Tennessee | 9–4 | T–2nd | Outback Bowl W | 22 | |
| 2016 | Tennessee | 9–4 | T–2nd | Music City Bowl W | 22 | |
| 2017 | Tennessee coached 10 of 12 games | 4–6 | ||||
| 2018–20: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2021 | Arkansas State | 2–10 | 5th | |||
| 2022 | Arkansas State | 3–9 | 7th | |||
| 2023 | Arkansas State | 6–7 | T–2nd | Camellia Bowl L | ||
| 2024 | Arkansas State | 8–5 | T–2nd | 68 Ventures Bowl W | ||
| 2025 | Arkansas State | 7–6 | T–2nd | Xbox Bowl W | ||
| 2026 | Arkansas State | 3–4 (Wikipedia: 2–4) | ||||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Evan BerryConsensus All‑American, 2015
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 35 | 6–29 | 17% |
| Against top-10 teams | 16 | 0–16 | 0% |
| Against rivals | 47 | 21–26 | 45% |
| Conference games | 125 | 63–62 | 50% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 9 | 6–3 | 67% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 83 | 40–43 | 48% |
| At home | 101 | 66–35 | 65% |
| On the road | 91 | 35–56 | 38% |
| At neutral sites | 16 | 12–4 | 75% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 113 | 90–23 | 80% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 95 | 23–72 | 24% |
His own 208 games on file, 2007–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Stoops 2013–2017 | 4–1 | Kentucky | 5 | |
| Michael Desormeaux 2022–2026 | 1–4 | Louisiana | 5 | |
| Nick Saban 2013–2017 | 0–5 | Alabama | 5 | |
| Mark Richt 2008–2015 | 1–3 | Georgia | 4 | |
| Will Muschamp 2013–2017 | 0–4 | Florida, South Carolina | 4 | |
| Bill Cubit 2007–2009 | 3–0 | Western Michigan | 3 | |
| Frank Solich 2008–2016 | 3–0 | Ohio | 3 | |
| Terry Bowden 2021–2023 | 3–0 | UL Monroe | 3 | |
| Charlie Strong 2010–2012 | 2–1 | Louisville | 3 | |
| Doug Marrone 2010–2012 | 2–1 | Syracuse | 3 |
Butch Jones’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| South Alabamaseries | 7 | 3–4 |
| Southern Missseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| Georgiaseries | 6 | 2–4 |
| Louisianaseries | 6 | 1–5 |
| Kentuckyseries | 5 | 4–1 |
| UL Monroeseries | 5 | 4–1 |
| Vanderbiltseries | 5 | 3–2 |
| South Carolinaseries | 5 | 3–2 |
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2020 staff (special assistant to head coach, part of the season) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–89 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL | Intern | |
| 1990–92 | Rutgers | Graduate assistant | |
| 1993–94 | Wilkes | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1995 | Ferris State | Running backs coach | |
| 1996–97 | Ferris State | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1998 | Central Michigan | Tight ends coach | |
| 1999 | Central Michigan | Wide receivers coach | |
| 2000 | Central Michigan | Running backs coach | |
| 2001–03 | Central Michigan | Offensive coordinator | |
| 2004 | Central Michigan | Running backs coach | |
| 2005–06 | West Virginia | Wide receivers coach | |
| 2007–09 | Central Michigan | Head coach | |
| 2010–12 | Cincinnati | Head coach | |
| 2013–17 | Tennessee | Head coach | |
| 2018–20 | Alabama | Offensive assistant | |
| 2021–present | Arkansas State | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Ray PerkinsTampa Bay Buccaneers
- Doug GraberRutgers
- Dick FlynnCentral Michigan
- Mike DeBordCentral Michigan
- Brian KellyCentral Michigan
- Rich RodriguezWest Virginia
- Nick SabanAlabama
Assistants who became head coaches
- Kerry CoombsCincinnati
- T. J. WeistUConn, South Florida
- Mike DeBordCentral Michigan
- Tommy ZagorskiOtterbein
- Bob ShoopColumbia
- Larry ScottHoward
- Walt WellsEastern Kentucky
- Brady HokeBall State, San Diego State, Michigan, Tennessee
- Mike CanalesNorth Texas
- Keith HeckendorfNorth Carolina
- Rob HarleyNorthern Illinois
- Josh ConklinWofford
Worked under (7)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Perkins | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL | 1987–89 | Intern | |
| Doug Graber | Rutgers | 1990–92 | Graduate assistant | |
| Dick Flynn | Central Michigan | 1998–99 | 1998: tight ends coach; 1999: wide receivers coach | |
| Mike DeBord | Central Michigan | 2000–03 | 2000: running backs coach; 2001–03: offensive coordinator | |
| Brian Kelly | Central Michigan | 2004 | Running backs coach | |
| Rich Rodriguez | West Virginia | 2005–06 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 2018–20 | Offensive assistant |
Coached under him, later head coaches (12)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry Coombs | Cincinnati, 2010–11: assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach | Cincinnati | |
| T. J. Weist | Cincinnati, 2010–12: wide receivers coach | UConn, South Florida | |
| Mike DeBord | Tennessee, 2015–16: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Central Michigan | |
| Tommy Zagorski | Tennessee, 2015: offensive quality control coach | Otterbein | |
| Bob Shoop | Tennessee, 2016–17: defensive coordinator | Columbia | |
| Larry Scott | Tennessee, 2016: tight ends coach; 2017: offensive coordinator and tight ends coach | Howard | |
| Walt Wells | Tennessee, 2016: offensive quality control coach; 2017: offensive line coach | Eastern Kentucky | |
| Brady Hoke | Tennessee, 2017: assistant head coach and defensive line coach | Ball State, San Diego State, Michigan, Tennessee | |
| Mike Canales | Tennessee, 2017: quarterbacks coach | North Texas | |
| Keith Heckendorf | Arkansas State, 2021–25: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | North Carolina | |
| Rob Harley | Arkansas State, 2021–24: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Northern Illinois | |
| Josh Conklin | Arkansas State, 2023–24: special teams coordinator and safeties coach | Wofford |
Other assistants under him (14)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Bajakian | Central Michigan, 2007–09: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Cincinnati, 2010–12: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Tennessee, 2013–14: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Tim Banks | Central Michigan, 2007–09: defensive coordinator; Cincinnati, 2010–11: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Zach Azzanni | Central Michigan, 2007–09: assistant head coach and wide receivers coach; Tennessee, 2013–14: recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach; 2015–16: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Jahmile Addae | Cincinnati, 2010: director of player development; 2011–12: running backs coach | |
| John Jancek | Cincinnati, 2010–11: co-defensive coordinator; 2012: defensive coordinator; Tennessee, 2013–15: defensive coordinator | |
| Tommy Thigpen | Tennessee, 2013–17: linebackers coach | |
| Willie Martinez | Tennessee, 2013–16: assistant head coach and secondary coach | |
| Nick Sheridan | Tennessee, 2014–16: graduate assistant | |
| Charlton Warren | Tennessee, 2017: defensive backs and special teams coach | |
| Matt Limegrover | Arkansas State, 2021: offensive line coach; 2022: tight ends coach | |
| Ryan Aplin | Arkansas State, 2021: running backs coach | |
| Griff McCarley | Arkansas State, 2025–26: defensive coordinator | |
| Garrett Altman | Arkansas State, 2026: offensive coordinator | |
| Kenny Hill | Arkansas State, 2026: running backs coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000; $250,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $8,125,000 | $4,110,000 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000; $350,000 in bonuses paid | $4,110,000 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000; $300,000 in bonuses paid | $3,633,000 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000 | $2,960,000 USA Today | |
| 2013 | Tennessee | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000 | $4,860,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Cincinnati | head coachbonuses up to $330,000 | $1,769,648 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | Cincinnati | head coachbonuses up to $330,000 | $1,393,833 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | Cincinnati | head coachbonuses up to $320,000 | $1,101,500 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Jones’s teams went for it on 16% of fourth downs and on 29% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 50% of plays and took 23.6 seconds a play, 2007–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 14 g | Central Michigan | 20 of 97 21% | 28% | 53% | 20.2 | +0.06 | |
| 2008 12 g | Central Michigan | 18 of 93 19% | 39% | 54% | 23.1 | +0.08 | |
| 2009 13 g | Central Michigan | 11 of 78 14% | 15% | 50% | 23.0 | +0.08 | |
| 2010 12 g | Cincinnati | 14 of 80 18% | 34% | 56% | 21.0 | −0.01 | |
| 2011 13 g | Cincinnati | 13 of 98 13% | 22% | 46% | 21.6 | −0.01 | |
| 2012 13 g | Cincinnati | 8 of 89 9% | 14% | 45% | 23.8 | +0.05 | |
| 2013 12 g | Tennessee | 11 of 91 12% | 23% | 43% | 25.4 | −0.06 | |
| 2014 13 g | Tennessee | 12 of 116 10% | 22% | 51% | 23.6 | −0.05 | |
| 2015 13 g | Tennessee | 17 of 109 16% | 27% | 40% | 23.4 | +0.04 | |
| 2016 13 g | Tennessee | 9 of 92 10% | 21% | 45% | 23.6 | +0.07 | |
| 2017 12 g | Tennessee | 9 of 99 9% | 21% | 48% | 27.1 | −0.11 | |
| 2021 10 g | Arkansas State | 14 of 91 15% | 22% | 64% | 24.2 | −0.01 | |
| 2022 12 g | Arkansas State | 24 of 111 22% | 46% | 56% | 25.4 | −0.08 | |
| 2023 13 g | Arkansas State | 20 of 101 20% | 26% | 49% | 23.7 | 0.00 | |
| 2024 13 g | Arkansas State | 20 of 102 20% | 34% | 52% | 23.6 | +0.06 | |
| 2025 13 g | Arkansas State | 27 of 112 24% | 44% | 57% | 22.7 | +0.03 | |
| 2026 7 g | Arkansas State | 9 of 42 21% | 50% | 50% | 29.4 | +0.07 | |
| All 208 g | 256 of 1601 16% | 29% | 50% | 23.6 | +0.01 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.